Seeing the play Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties in person has truly broadened my horizons of how plays can be of anything. It made me realize how different interpretations could be between the written and live plays, as emotions cannot be fully described with words as well as an image could.
In comparison to the live version of the play, I feel like my interpretation of Betty 2 was significantly different in the written version of the play. For example, Betty 2 appears to be a bit more abnormal and “crazy” in the written play than that of the live, where she first introduces her hand puppet friend. In the written play, I interpreted the scene as Betty 2 talking to her hand puppet while being curled up in the corner of her living room. However, in the live play, there is a single spotlight streaming down. All is dark. Only Betty 2 and her hand puppet are present. This focuses more on the lonely aspect of her personality and the emotions that are depicted on her face and in her voice, which evokes even more pity.
One of the most eye-catching and distinctive features of the performance was the convenient usage of gravity to transport props to the stage. In traditional plays, perhaps the curtains would be closed, movers would help move large amounts of furniture around, and a longer period of time would elapse between scenes. In this play, minimal or easily placed stage furniture was used to decorate each “episode” of the Betties’ lives. A scene in which I thought it to have several seats or sofas, a tall, high-class looking coffee table, and maybe some paintings or bookcases was instead furnished with a single chair. This simplicity was most likely for the purpose of giving the viewers the freedom to imagine and create their own interpretations of the play, but instead, all of this led me to not focus on the whole scene, but the Betty that was speaking at the time. This longer focus on the person itself allowed me to notice emotions that I would look over in the written play.
Not being much of a theater/play person, this was my first time going to an actual play and watching people perform with such emotions. This was truly a memorable and very enjoyable experience for me, and I would love to go again soon!
I’m terribly sorry for the lateness
I agree, seeing this live so such a different experience than reading it online. There was way more dimension to the characters, and their problems and personalities were more tangible in a way. I also loved the transition between each scene. The blaring music, and the bold flashing words were distracting but also engaging in way. I thought this approach was quite unique given how in more traditional plays transitions would be silent and proper with the curtains closed. While watching I was most captivating by Betty 2, whose presence in the play was very strong despite the character often times being forgotten and pushed aside. Betty 2 had some serious issues that I really wished we got more closure out of at the end. For me the play ended with somewhat of a cliffhanger with Betty 2. Although she learned to love herself, she came off to me as a bit insane.